Powertrains may include a prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine that is coupled to a transmission device that includes a continuously or infinitely variable transmission (CVT) to provide tractive effort in vehicles. A characteristic of a CVT includes the capability to continuously change a speed ratio between a minimum input speed/output speed (i.e., overdrive) ratio and a maximum input speed/output speed (i.e., underdrive) ratio, thus permitting selection of engine operating points that achieve peak efficiency, e.g., a mean-best torque point, in response to an operator torque request. A continuously variable transmission is capable of steplessly changing and operating at an infinite number of effective gear ratios over a range between a maximum gear ratio and a minimum gear ratio. Variators or continuously variable units (CVU) may be characterized in terms of a speed ratio spread, which is a numerical ratio having a value that is calculated based upon the minimum input speed/output speed (overdrive) ratio and the maximum input speed/output speed (underdrive) ratio. It may be advantageous to increase the speed ratio spread in a transmission that employs a CVU.